'We're back!' Final preparations for first Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend since 2019

Tent pegs were going in the ground, as crew from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (CBHOF) handled the final preparations for Induction Weekend in St. Marys, Ont.

The first in-person event since 2019 had residents excited.

“It's just exciting and nice to have everybody come together and be in one space and celebrate something again,” said Gina Koot.

“It's always the kickoff to the summer events and attractions,” added downtown business owner and St. Marys cheerleader Julie Docker-Johnson. “All the people come and some very notable people come which is very exciting. The town's dressed up ready to go.”

2019 seems like ages ago. That’s the last time this ceremony was held in-person.

“We're sort of doing a catch up here with Pedro Martinez from 2018, Justin Morneau and Duane Ward from 2020, and then Jeff Francis is our 2022 guy,” said Scott Crawford, director of operations at the CBHOF.

He added, “Because of COVID and other reasons, you know, it's a catch up year as we're inducting three different classes of people but we got four great names and we're going to have a lot of Blue Jay fans, Expos fans and Canadian baseball fans.”

Thousands of tourists means big dollars for local businesses. Some of them opened in the past two years, and have never reaped the benefits of an induction weekend.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is preparing for its first induction weekend since 2019 in St. Marys, Ont. (Brent Lale / CTV News London)“We have no idea what to expect,” said Catherine Cumming, owner of the Snapping Turtle Coffee House.

“We know there's going to be all kinds of people in town we fully support it. We’re all hands on deck and we're ready to roll,” Cumming added.

Induction weekend officially begins Thursday with ‘The Opening Pitch’ at Left Field Brewery in Toronto. The festivities in St. Marys begin Friday with the annual celebrity golf tournament.

“It’s one of our most prestigious and important tournaments of the year,” said Brandon DeGroot, director of golf at St. Marys Golf and Country Club.

“We feel it's important that it's at the St. Mary's Golf and Country Club because of the Baseball Hall of Fame, obviously being in town. We have a few celebrities golfing this time, and we're super excited to see people like Jeff Francis and Duane Ward,” DeGroot added.

This is the first of two major weekends for St Marys, with Homecoming 2022 running from July 1 to 3.

The two events will bring big exposure to Stonetown.

“Come enjoy the baseball museum this weekend and come back in the summer enjoy the Quarry or the trails or the shopping,” said Crawford.